Falling In Love Is Such an Easy Thing to Do
by TheViolentFemme
Summary: The science of love is a strange thing. For some, an initial spark will ignite any passion, while for others the mind's fears take precedence over the heart's desires. Rewrite of WHEN FORCES COLLIDE. Rated T until I feel like it.
1. Poem

**AN: No, I don't have the chapter done yet, no I'm not dead, and no, I probably won't update any faster, sorry :/ My apologies for the uber long wait, it usually doesn't take this long, working as fast as I can and all that jazz you want to hear... Truth is I have no time and unless you want me to cut sleep out of my schedule then you may not get an update until after November. Between school, band, sleep and preserving my sanity, there is no time for writing. I'm barely managing that last part too... Still, maybe if I got some reviews for all this hard work I'm doing I just might be motivated to abandon my sleep for a night... (WINK WINK, AHEM AHEM) **

**Anyway so I found this poem while doing English homework 4 weeks ago (yes, it DID take that long to get it up) and I think it's loverly and fits like a peach so enjoy this slightly depressing poem about love and ripples and two people not looking at each other :)**

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An Echo From Willow-Wood

Two gazed into a pool, he gazed and she,

Not hand in hand, yet heart in heart, I think,

Pale and reluctant on the water's brink,

As on the brink of parting which must be,

Each eyed the other's aspect, she and he,

Each felt one hungering heart leap up and sink,

Each tasted bitterness which both must drink,

There on the brink of life's dividing sea.

Lilies upon the surface, deep below

Two wistful faces craving each for each,

Resolute and reluctant without speech: -

A sudden ripple made the faces flow,

One moment joined, to vanish out of reach:

So those hearts joined, and ah were parted so.

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**AN: So it's a sort of prologuey thingy to start off the story, before the prologue so if you just didn't read it because you're like "Hey, it's just a poem, unimportant right?" NO! Tis muy importante para el... story... o... :) I'm only in Spanish 2 people... Anywho, read it if you skipped it and read closer if you didn't cus this is semi-quasi-spoilerish. And it's good... that too :)**


	2. Prologue

**AN: So, I've been thinking about this a lot and I've decided to type up WHEN FORCES COLLIDE as a whole new story rather than rewriting the other one. So not much will change, mainly it will be the aspect of their relationship that takes a turn but if you've read WHEN FORCES COLLIDE then you'll know all the twists and stuff that'll happen...**

**Thanks to everyone who's been reading the other story, I hope you still do even after my many-months brain fart :P And thanks to my new Beta RulerofFire cus you rock :D**

**Disclaimer: Characters are Valve's, ideas are mine, blah blah blah...**

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PROLOGUE

Looking at all the writing on the safe house walls always made me sad. I mean, seein' all those scribbles bout meetin' someone at this place, or havin ta leave 'em behind, 'n all those "extraction points" that were done for...it hurt. Cus when ya think bout it, how many of them were really gonna see each other again? I'd bet anything half'a these people are dead. 'N the other half... I didn't wanna think bout that.

Any time I saw someone writin' in more places than one though, it always made me happy. I didn't know where they were or if they made it out, but it was always nice to know that _someone _was still out there fightin'.

But there was one in particular I always looked for. I didn't know the girl's name, but I knew her story. And damn if it wasn't a good one.

Her notes were always to "Louis & Francis" and they were at near every place we saw them at. People like her were ones worth lookin' up to.

For a while she was travelin' with this one guy, Bill. Then a Tank came, 'n well, she didn't seem so happy no more. That time she wrote 'bout when he died, it was all shakey 'n wiggly. Like she couldn't keep still. Like she was sobbin. But after that she seemed so... solid. Like a rock - no, a boulder. Somethin' even this damned zombie apocalypse couldn't shake.

She seemed to be movin' real slow-like. Always sayin' she waited a day or so for her buddies 'n had to go on. 'N "I'm so sorry". She always said that.

I was surprised we hadn't run into her yet. But I didn't wanna think 'bout that 'cus then I'd get ta thinkin' why not 'n not all a them ended with gumdrops 'n rainbows.

Of course, I didn't really know fer sure she was a girl. But after her notes she would put a li'l heart at the bottom 'n sign it with a nice 'n neat "Z." Then when I'd look around at all the other directions 'n stuff 'bout extraction points she'd have written at the bottom the places not to go with things like "overrun" 'n always helpful li'l notes like that. We got the idea of goin' toward New Orleans cus a her sayin' there was a buncha boats all along the shores on the East Coast 'n that was the closest on still hangin' 'round.

So while Ro 'n Coach 'n Nick were followin' her advice I was followin' _her_. Every safe-house I saw my heart kinda jumped a li'l bit 'cus I was always hopin' for another note from her on the wall.

Ro, bein' the crazy detective she was, would catch me readin' all them notes lookin' fer Z's 'n start teasin' me 'bout lookin' fer my "girlfriend."

Ro kept tellin' me I shouldn't get my hopes up on findin' her 'cus the chances were pretty slim, but I knew she had gotten out. She had to. 'N like Nick says, we ain't come this far jus' ta die now. 'N it's not ta get my hopes up when I know there's someone like her nice 'n safe somewhere.

But I know we're gonna find her safe 'n sound 'n she's gonna be our way out cus she said she'd push the damned boat to shore if Francis 'n Louis weren't on it when it left.

So headin' out into the muck I felt better 'n ever 'cause I knew if she wasn't somewhere out way ahead a us she was somewhere safe jus' waitin' fer me ta find her.


	3. Plank Country

**AN: Okay, chapter 1 finally written and Beta'd :D Thanks to RulerofFire and for helping me out on this one. After a long and fruitful 4th of July weekend chapter 2 is almost done as well (along with Confessions, if anyone cares about that here...) so yah, I'm gonna stop talking now cus half of you probably don't read my commentary anyway :)**

**Oh yah, the parenthesized italics are Zoey's thoughts, enjoy!**

CHAPTER 1

I looked down at my grimy body. My clothes were covered in blood and swamp shit. My shoes and socks were soaked through and squished every time I took a step. I felt like one of those goddamned clowns at that twisted carnival.

I stepped carefully through the swamp, sweeping my AK-47 left and right before me. I cursed silently when I heard the unmistakable cry of a Witch.

I tried desperately to quiet the sloshing in my shoes, but after a few precious moments of fussing, I found the best way to do it was simply treading lighter - so I gave up trying. I looked around for the Witch, hoping I could tiptoe around her and get to the _(hopefully)_ nearby safe house _(shack)._

My _(barely there) _luck held and I found her sobbing beneath the bridge to the safe house.

_Almost there, almost safe._

_ . . ._

_Shit_

My blood ran cold as I heard the sick laugh of a Jockey somewhere nearby.

"Jockey!"

_Did I really just hear that? _I couldn't believe it. There were real, actual _people_ here. I was elated. So much so, that I dropped my guard to run toward the location of the voice.

I didn't even hear the laugh, and so my next utterance was a scream as the Jockey pounced on my face and steered me blindly through the muck.

"Shit, damn back humper's got someone!" Someone with a Southern drawl yelled. I presume he started running, by the sloshing and yelling of two or three other voices. Their blazing guns and the distant screeches made me guess that a Horde was fast approaching.

I fought wildly against the Jockey, trying desperately to move to where I had heard the voice. I didn't even know if I was going the right way.

And then, just as quickly as it started, the Jockey's ride was over. I looked down to see it fall in a heap beside me. A man who appeared not much older than me rushed to my side and steadied me as I swayed violently. I was shaking hard. "I thought I was alone. I thought I was done for . . ."

"It's alri', yer safe now. My name is Ellis, some people call me El. But I really prefer Ellis 'cus El kinda sounds like a girl's name. But if you prefer ta call me El, I guess you can." I couldn't pay attention to all that he said. My attention drifted when I noticed the Witch a few feet away from us, teeth bared, claws ready, growling and standing up.

"Y-You got a gun, Ellis?"

He looked confused. "A course, why?"

I turned him by the shoulder to face the Witch. "Use it."

I pulled out my pistols as I had dropped my AK during my adventure with the Jockey. Slowly backing up, I aimed at the Witch. "One," I said.

"Two" he answered.

"THREE!" We let the bullets fly. She screeched and came flying at me, claws outstretched, and knocked me down into the swampy mess. I struggled to get air from under the water while shooting at her.

And then she stopped, falling limply off my side as Ellis stooped down to save me yet again.

I moaned when his hand brushed my leg and noticed it was nearly torn open. "Shit!" I swore, great, now I was the dead weight.

I was sitting up, my legs outstretched uselessly before me. Ellis was still crouched next to me. "Damn, that bitch did a number on ya, didn't she?"

I flinched when he started sliding his arm under my legs and around my back. "Easy there, it' alri', I gotcha." He smiled with such and innocent sweetness I couldn't help but trust it. So I let him carry me bridal-style to the safe house and set me down on an old creaky couch in the middle of the room.

He picked up a pump-action shotgun with some ammo off a nearby table and handed them to me. "Okay, I'ma go out ta help my friends. Then we'll be back 'n someone'll patch up that leg. You alri' in here, Darlin'?"

"I'll be fine. Thank you, Ellis." I mustered the most sincere look I could manage through the pain.

"You sure? 'Cus I could-"

"No. I'm fine. Go." I cut him off. He nodded and ran out the door we had just come through, closing it loudly behind him.

_Damn, that was close. If they hadn't been there . . ._

_**You would've found a way out. You always do. And I could've helped you if you would have let me.**_

_That's a lie and you know it. I was done for until they came. That Jockey was my death sentence._

_**No attachments, no regrets. Remember Bill? Louis, Francis? How much that hurt?**_

_Fuck this, you don't exist. I'm talking to myself. They'll keep me sane again. You'll go away_

_**Nobody will keep me from you once they're dead again.**_

"No!" I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head violently. I looked up and noticed that Ellis and his group were rushing around the ramp, making a mad dash for the safe house. I hauled myself up to sitting. My hand brushed a med pack on the floor next to the couch and I tore it open, revealing it's contents. I took out a sterile set of tweezers and focused on my leg, which now just felt numb.

Dead.

Shit.

I used the tweezers to gingerly spread apart the skin around the wound and examined it as best I could, plucking out small bits of leaf and twig as a man in a white suit burst into the safe house. He was followed quickly by a large man, a somewhat short woman, and Ellis shooting straggling zombies.

"Ow, FUCK!" I swore. I struck a muscle hard with the tweezers when I had turned to see the other survivors make their way through the door.

All of them jumped and swung around. I found myself staring wide-eyed into the barrels of four guns.

One dropped quickly, revealing Ellis's relieved face. "It's alri', guys, this is the girl I saw out there." For some reason his voice made my head pound.

The large man and the woman hastily dropped their guns, and white-suit lowered his weapon only enough to spot my injured leg, then dropped it the rest of the way hurriedly "Oh, damn someone fix that!"

I was confused. My mind was slower and groggy and the edges of my vision grew blurry. I looked drowsily at my leg. I t was gushing blood from where I had hit it.

"Fuck." I murmured before collapsing back against the cushions. The last thing I saw was the woman rushing to me before my eyes drifted closed.


	4. The Swamp Part 1

**AN: Yes, another one up :D I'm tired and it's almost tomorrow so I'm kinda loopy right now :)**

**Hope you like it, I do it's very different from the other chapter 2, as you will soon find out**

**OMG IT'S TOMORROW! XD**

**REVIEW! I love you but you gotta review! Reviews are like cookies and springtime and hot cocoa and Stephen King and zombies and sugar and Megadeth and everything good in the world in one! **

**Reviews = LOVE, no reviews = no love = sad writer = too depressed to talk let alone write and update stories on fanfic = suicidalness and therefore one of those stories that's on here for 2 years and read before noticing the update time and you are banging you head on the desk asking WHY? because you really wanna know what happens but you WON'T cus the writer is DEAD cus there weren't any REVIEWS!**

**...**

**Cookies :D**

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CHAPTER 2

I awoke groggy. My head was pounding and my limbs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. I delicately lifted my head off the armrest of the couch.

Big mistake.

Red spots popped into my vision. I let out a cry of pain as my head felt like it was tearing in two.

The man in the suit came rushing through an open doorway. I guessed that was the kitchen or something like that.

"Hey guys, she's awake." He called up the stairs _(Huh? This place was bigger than I had thought...)_ to his friends.

He chuckled slightly and walked towards me. "Sorry, doll. Name's Nick."

"Zoey."

"Well, _Zoey_, there isn't a man around here somewhere I could talk to by any chance?"

I glared at him. "Oh boo-hoo, I don't know what to do. Go to hell, Colonel Sanders."

He smirked at me, "Got a feisty one here, eh? That's great cupcake." He grinned wide and shot me a wink. Wow, I didn't think anyone could get on my nerves so fast. This place is just a myriad of firsts, isn't it?

I heard three separate sets of feet pound down the stairs. My head rattled and I moaned in pain.

Ellis was the first to reach me. He crouched by my side, pushing Nick out of the way. "You alri' darlin'?"

"My head."

"She probably needs water," A woman's voice came from behind the couch. "You're lucky, sweetie. You lost a lot of blood when that Witch got to you. Good thing Coach here patched you up nice and tight. Shouldn't be bothering you too much longer." She stuck out her hand and I shook it weakly. "I'm Rochelle. Call me Ro," She added with a smirk. "All of them do."

"Nice to meet you guys," Ellis returned with a bottle of warm water, presumably from some crate somewhere. Once again he pushed Nick out of my line of sight. "I'm Zoey."

It was odd how Ellis was looking at me. On his face was a look of almost . . . awe, or something like that. I don't know, maybe it was just a trick of the light, my mind going into overdrive. It was all in my head, like I hadn't heard that enough . . .

A large hand on my shoulder pulled me out of my head. "Zoey? Girl, can you hear me alright?" A booming voice sounded near me.

"Huh?" I answered. I did that sometimes, got so deep into my own thoughts that my other senses abandoned me. The doctors said it was normal for someone with "my condition."

"You alright there, sweetie? You didn't hit your head or nothing when that Jockey got you, did you?"

As she rushed to my side to fuss over my head, I could sense the motherly side of her. I knew that feeling well. It had been the same way with me and my team.

_No, stop it. Don't think about them._

I nodded inwardly. Thinking always made things worse . . .

"I'm fine, really. Sorry Coach, what was that?"

"I asked where ya came from girl. You can't have been alone for very long, have you?"

I just chewed my lip, trying not to let the feelings come back. If I couldn't even hold it together thinking about it, how could I possibly tell them what happened? "Umm," was all I could manage at the moment.

Rochelle obviously sensed my hesitation and came to my rescue, "We don't have to talk about it now sweetie. We can wait until you feel better to talk." I smiled at her. Seeing the way she doted over these men, it was all I could do to not think of my team. But I couldn't appear weak, not while I still had something to prove to these people.

_**You don't have to prove anything to them. What's the point of proving yourself when they're just going to leave you for dead? Just like the others.**_

_Stop it. Go away. You're not real, you're not real._

_**I'll never leave you. I promise.**_

I snapped back to reality with the sound of a pistol shot ringing out. Nick was at the safe house exit, his gun pointed through the bars. "We should be able to stay here a day or two, at least until cupcake here can heal up a bit."

I was trying hard to remember their names; I knew it would save my life very soon. My mind started to wander and I closed my eyes, pretending to sleep.

"Think it's safe to move her upstairs?" _Ellis_

"Not sure, maybe one of us should stay down here with her tonight, just to be safe." _Rochelle_

"I'll do it!" _Ellis and Nick?_

Rochelle sighed, "Ellis, you can take first watch. Yell if you see something you can't handle, okay?" _Well he's better than Nick at least._

I heard a mutter from the corner, "Damn kid . . ." _Wow, asshole much Nick?_

I drifted off into a light doze, waking fully when I heard an upstairs door slam, most likely Nick's. The lights were off, and it gave me an uneasy feeling. The dark hadn't brought comfort to me in a long time.

There was silence for a moment, then "Pssst! You awake Zoey?" came from the floor directly in front of the couch.

I smiled a little. What, were we five again? "Yah, Ellis?"

"Umm, I-I wanted ta ask you somethin', but I don't wanna sound like some crazy stalker or nothin'."

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. "What is it?"

There was a small pause. "I think I know you." That did nothing to cure my confusion, but how is that stalkerish? Maybe he'd seen me around campus and graduated earlier than me, or knew my family or something.

"That doesn't sound crazy. Did you go to Penn state or something?"

Another pause. "I've never been out of Savannah in my life. I-I mean, I know you but I've never met'chu."

It was my turn to be silent. I honestly didn't know how to respond to that. "Wha-what are you talking about?" My mouth hung open like an idiot and I was actually glad it was so dark for the first time in who knows how long.

"I-I mean I know _about_'chu. Y'see, I like ta read those writin's on the walls of the safe houses, 'n I saw all the ones you wrote 'bout how you been goin' fer a while now 'n, I mean, I figure it was you writin' those cus there ain't many people 'round anymore 'n there ain't that many Z names anyway so I jus' sorta figured it was you, but I mean I could be mistaken . . ."

He trailed off, obviously expecting some sort of answer, but I could barely keep my jaws firmly together, let alone explain my whole story. "That . . . depends, I guess. What did you read?" It was barely a whisper.

And he started going off on an insane story. _My _insane story. Everything from the crash, to my note in the last safe house I stopped at. Well, not exactly _everything_. He left out how utterly hopeless I felt when I came to and didn't find Francis there watching me sleep. And how I damn near threw myself in front of that Tank when I heard Bill's final scream, and how I changed my mind when I remembered that he did it to help me escape. And how I had decided that was my last note because I was never going to find Louis or Francis, never going to make it out anyway.

I steadied my quivering lower lip long enough to utter, "Yah. That-that's me." Apparently that was all he was looking for, because he started going on about who the hell knows what. I couldn't handle it, he was asking all these questions about things I never wanted to think about, bringing back ghosts I thought I had buried. And I _couldn't take it_.

"'N then that part 'bout you 'n Bill with that Tank, hoo-hoo I could jus' picture it -"

"Ellis."

"How you was fightin' 'n he tried leadin it away -"

"Ellis, please."

"'N then when he got caught in a -"

"ELLIS!" _I can't take it, I can't take it_.

_**Yah, they're really gonna help you . . .**_

_Shut up._

"Yes, darlin'?" Such innocence in those two little words. He had no idea the hell I was in.

"Just stop. _Please_."

"Wha's wrong? What did I do?" He sounded genuinely worried, but that didn't make it any easier on me, didn't calm my hurting thoughts.

"It hurts to think about. Please, just don't say any more." I felt a little tear crawling down my cheek. My chin quivered. "It's bad enough when it's just in my head," I added quietly. I don't know if he heard.

"I-I'm sorry, darlin'. I didn't think- I didn't mean ta-"

"I know."

"Can I make it up to ya?" I could hear him shifting around on the floor. I think he was sitting up.

"I just want to sleep." I turned so my back was to him and I was facing the back of the couch.

"I'm so sorry." I could feel the heat of his hand at my shoulder. I shifted a little before he touched me.

"And Ellis?"

"Yes darlin'?"

"Don't call me that." The heat from his hand left.

"Oh, o-ok. Goodnight, d-Zoey."

He resettled back into the sleeping bag on the floor.

"Goodnight, darling girl."

_Goodnight, Francis._

_

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_**Hmm, so was my insane tirade up there entertaining? **

**...**

**crickets?**

**:'(**

**REVIEW DAMMIT! 3 :)**


	5. The Swamp Part 2

**AN: Okay, it's not that late right now so you'll get a pretty sane AN this time :D **

**Uhh, let's see I'm planning making this one more true to the story line and campaigns than my other so I'mma call the chapters by where they take place so you can yell at me if I get the map wrong. Also I've been doing a TON of research on the L4D wiki and I found out so much stuff! I love that site! And they have video walkthroughs of the levels, those have been on my computer nonstop! :D**

**AND a lot is gonna change from the first (crappier) version of the story so I'm contemplating deleting that one as I will most likely never have any sort of motivation to finish it within the next two years :) If you have an issue with that go ahead and let me know but I'm telling you now that thing's on its (it's?) way out...**

**Reviews still equal love! And cookies! You wouldn't deprive a girl of her cookies would you? :'(

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CHAPTER 3

_Next thing I knew I was on a bridge. No, a raised highway, cars abandoned on either side of me. On the right side of the bridge was my team, Louis, Francis, even Bill. They were yelling to me, telling me to run. But from what?_

_To my left were the people I had just met, Coach, Ro, Nick and Ellis, they were yelling at me too, telling me to hurry. _

_Then I felt the earth rumble beneath me. A hunk of the highway crumbled as an enormous Tank clambered up into sight. I started unloading bullet after bullet at its head, but the thing just roared and came after me. The new team was also shooting it, making it confused. It started racing back and forth between me and them, allowing me time to run to where my team was waiting._

_But I couldn't. I kept running and running but I couldn't move. The highway was getting longer, stretching the distance between us even greater. My legs were pounding away and I could feel my strength ebbing, I was getting weaker and still no closer._

_I stopped when I felt a pull against me. Turning, I saw Ro and Ellis tugging me back Nick and Coach were shooting at the Tank that was now where I was just headed. I thrashed and fought against their arms, but it seemed to do nothing against them. They told me nice things, saying not to worry, that they would save me. But I didn't want to be saved._

_I could still see a ghost of Bill, just a whisper of Francis, only a promise of Louis as the barred door slammed in my face. Ellis rubbed my shoulder soothingly while I screamed. "Zoey, darlin', you should heal up." _**(AN: That's a Francis quote, by the way... :D)**_

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_

I woke with a jolt, nearly flying off of the couch. It took me a moment to gather myself and slow my breathing.

_Just a dream, only a dream nothing more._

_**But it wasn't.**_

_Shut up._

Once I was back in control I looked around. The safe house we were in looked bigger in the daylight. There was an open doorway to what looked like a kitchen to my right and a closed door to my left. Behind the couch was a set of wood stairs worn down with age. Leadin up to what I assumed were bedrooms by the way everyone had flocked to them last night.

It hurt a little to get up but the night's rest had done me some good, even if I did have a limp. The door on my left opened and let out a bit of steam. Ellis exited and turned in my direction, smiling a bit when he saw me up. "Left some hot water for ya, yer probably gonna want ta get in there 'fore Nick wakes." And he crossed the room into the adjacent one. I was surprised that he was so warm to me, even after how cold I was to him last night. I decided to take his advice and get in the shower now instead of possibly missing an opportunity that might not come again any time soon. So in a matter of minutes I had a blessed rainfall of hot water cascading over me. As soon as the water shut off I heard a knock at the door. I cracked it open the tiniest bit and stuck my face out, sheltering the rest of my body with the door. Ro was smiling at me through the crack.

"I found some clothes I thought might fit you, figured you didn't wanna run around in those same ones you've got." She handed me a small bundle of clothes, including fresh socks. I smiled.

"Thank you so much." She smiled back at me brighter than before and walked away after telling me breakfast was almost ready. Clean clothes _and _real food? _Pinch me I must be dreaming_.

The jeans clung to me but they weren't tight, which was good. They didn't allow for anything to snag me and they were comfortable, the perfect combination. The shirt, however, was a different story. It fell down almost to my knees but it was tight and hugged my every curve. And it wasn't like I was flat-chested either.

When I was fully dressed I emerged from the bathroom only to be struck by a mouthwatering scent coming from the room across from me. I limp-ran over to it and smiled hungrily. Eggs. Real goddamn eggs sitting on a huge plate on a nearby countertop. I almost moaned when a smiling Ro handed me a huge heap of eggs. "Oh, sweet! How'd you score these?" I sat in the closest available chair between Ellis and Coach and dug into the meal before me.

"Bastard had a working fridge, stored eggs like he was, well, like he was getting ready for an apocalypse," She finished, smiling. I tried to smile back but my mouth was too full of eggs. They were rubbery and greasy and the best thing I had tasted in a long time.

"Damn, didn't you eat this whole time?" I heard from across the table. Looking up I noticed that only Coach and I were still eating, the others were watching us stuff our faces. I got suddenly self-conscious.

"Not real food. And canned stuff was never any better."

"Too cold?" Asked Ro.

I shook my head "No can opener." They eyed me strangely. Nick raised an eyebrow incredulously. "And, being the strange boys they were, my team decided the next best thing was an axe. Needless to say we smelled like refried beans for a week." That got a laugh out of everyone, including me. But there was still that ache.

"So that brings me back to my question from last night: How long you been down here? You can't have been traveling alone for long, have you?" I tensed just a bit. I could almost hear Ellis's mouth opening but I spoke before he did. I didn't want to avoid things with these people, they deserved to know.

"Do you know what month it is?"

"Should be around the end of September."

"I've been traveling about two and a half months." Everybody kind of stopped in mid-air. Jaws dropped and I could only assume the infection hadn't hit down here as soon as it had in Pennsylvania.

"The infection hit Pennsylvania about mid July. I had a team of three other men. We got to a hospital and a helicopter managed to extract us. We made our way to the Louisiana coast to get to a ship the pilot said was out there. The military commandeered cruise ships and they're in the Gulf of Mexico. They're still extracting.

"Last we stopped for fuel was three weeks ago. We left but somehow our pilot got infected. We managed to kill him but the chopper went down somewhere near Mobile, Alabama. Two of my teammates got separated from Bill and me. He was injured so I wouldn't leave him. I searched everywhere but I never found them. They left us for dead."

I stubbornly held back the tears that threatened to fall. I dug my hand into my knee. I felt Ellis's hand pat mine under the table and I didn't push him away, all my strength was working on that one little tear.

I sniffled slightly and continued. "He healed and we kept moving on. A Tank came. He knew we were no match for it. He gave his life to get me out of there alive. I lost a good man that day." And with that I lost my battle with the tear. I burned an acid path down my face.

"I only managed to kill it cus I found a bottle of bile. If I'd found it earlier . . ." I shook my head to shake the thought. Of all of them, _that _was the one that always got out of control.

"I got to a place the military was supposed to be extracting from but all they left was some recorded message to wait and they'd be returning soon, so I left. I've been alone for about two weeks." Everyone was silent.

Ro was the first to break the silence, "Well, you've got us now, honey."

I looked up at her and smiled as well as I could, "Thanks."

"What about those two other guys?" Nick put in, "They still out there?"

"I'd like to believe they are but I'm not getting my hopes up."

"Well," Ro said. "They'll have to wait. You're not going anywhere on that leg, honey. We'll stay another night and see how you're doing then." I opened my mouth to protest but she had already left the room.

"Not a word about it, kid." Coach interrupted. "Listen to what the girl says, she's just lookin' out for you."

Nick waited until Coach had closed his door to speak up, "Listen, Ellis, I don't mind sleeping on the floor tonight. Go ahead and take abed tonight, you look like you could use it." He had a sly smile on his face that gave me a bit of chills.

Ellis remained calm, "No, I think I'm good down here. A course, Zoey may want a bed. More room than that tiny couch."

"Sounds good. There's one more room. Of course, if you want a bed you can always share with Ro again." He smiled wide and I was confused but figured it was something to do with some rivalry. They reminded me of Louis and Francis . . .

"That was jus' that once, 'sides, yer more used to it than me anyway." Nick's smile slid into a scowl. Frankly, I was kind of tired being in the middle of this. I didn't really know or care what sort of problem they were having and I didn't want to.

I stood up and both men looked up at me. "I'm just fine down here. I don't need either of you; I can take care of my own damn self." I limped as straight as I could manage out of the rooms

* * *

The rest of the day passed with more than moderate boredom. Ro and Coach forbid me from leaving the safe room with my leg like this so I took the time to practice sniping random zombies that wandered across the very limited view through the bars. I had to admit I was a pretty sweet shot; I even got a Hunter from about 150 yards out. However the rest of the day was spent scavenging through crates in the room and taking inventory over and over again until night fell.

And every second in between was spent trying and failing to keep Francis Louis and Bill off my mind; and once again I went to sleep with tears straining at my eyelids.


	6. The Swamp Part 3

**AN: Hola beautiful peoples who read my stuff :D It is now much later than my previous AN so yes, there will be slight weirdity, starting with that :)**

**Thanks to again, who helped with this one, and to our same taste in OC names XD**

**... Holy cockatoo I don't know what to say, just read the freakin chapter, kay?**

* * *

CHAPTER 4

It was strange to me that we would move about during the day, but I suppose they were just trying to move through as fast as they could. Even so, waking up to daylight was not something I was used to.

I was jittery to get moving and Ro was still worried about my leg, "Easy there, honey," She warned. "You sure you're well enough to start off again? We could always wait another-"

"No!" I nearly yelled. Ro giggled. "I mean, we should get going. This place won't be safe for long. Besides, we can't take all the supplies, others might have to come through here later on." I loaded up my two pistols and replaced the AK I had dropped earlier. I grabbed a syringe of adrenaline, a med pack, and a Molotov.

I released the safety off my pistols and took one in each hand, strapping the AK across my back, and watched as everyone else finished stocking up.

"Let's go," I said, and walked to the door. I heaved off the bar and flung the door open, picking off a few idle infected that had wandered here in the night. I looked ahead but all I saw was a swamp, and trees everywhere. There wasn't a path so we just hopped down into the muck.

"This swamp is gonna mess up my white suit!" Nick complained loudly.

Rochelle said what I was thinking, "You mean the one covered in zombie brains?"

"Brains come out, swamp water doesn't. Don't ask me how I know that." His tone remained so steady I didn't even bother to question him.

A minute later, we came across a boat with a lantern, some supplies, and a way out of the swamp. It opened up to a muddy trail through; at least it wasn't completely filled with the muck.

We had only followed the path a few minutes before I heard an "Oh my God." from behind. Coach was looking up at something in the trees. As I moved closer I saw a man in a parachute dangling from a branch, still holding his gun in his lifelessarms. "Nick, you sure you didn't kill this pilot too?" Coach let out a chuckle that I just couldn't join; I was still watching the man sway in the breeze.

"I still can't believe none of you were going to shoot him. He was a _zombie_ in case you didn't notice." I tore my eyes from the hanging pilot and continued walking, stopping occasionally to search through abandoned shacks here and there.

Further into the swamp we came across a crashed plane smack in the middle of where we needed to go. Most of the side facing us was destroyed**, **but the entirety of the other side was still intact. I looked around, trying to figure out if we could climb it at any part. _Maybe the wing . . ._

"Hey, there's a door on the other side a' this thing, think we'll have to pry it open? I don't think there's a crowbar anywhere around here." I looked at the other side and, sure enough, there was an emergency door with a dingy red handle.

Coach prepared to pull it, but Ro stopped him. "Wait, what if the alarm is still working? We could be callin' a Horde."

"Aww, Ro, stop worryin', this thing ain't got no juice left in it, trust me." Ellis went over and tugged at the handle. A sharp siren filled the air, over which I could barely hear the roar of the Horde in the distance.

"No juice, eh?" I teased.

"But then," Ellis said. "I could be wrong 'bout that."

"Godammit, get ready!" Nick yelled, before running out onto the wing and unloading on the approaching stream of infected. We all followed suit, and I was about to pull out my Molotov when I saw two figures running and waving their arms in a distinct non-zombie fashion. So I held off - I didn't want to trap them over there.

"Guys, there's more survivors over there!" I rushed to the side of the wing to help Ro shoot at some that tried to climb up with us. "We should get them up here, I need to throw a Molly."

Coach ran over to the far edge and yelled for them to hurry; we were trying to flush out the infected. I heard dull metallic thuds, and then Coach yell "Throw it!"

I aimed for a bit under the wing and watched as the zombies rushed into the flames. We all stopped shooting, and warily watched the proof that humanity was entirely void from these things. They had no regard for even their own life as their primal instincts took over.

When the flames died a little, a sandy-haired man turned around and stuck his hand out to Coach, who was still near them after helping them up. "Thank ya, sir. We're in debt to you all fer savin' us. My name's-"

"KEITH!" Ellis pushed his way past us all and hugged the man- well, Keith, I guess. It made me smile seeing the two men embrace each other in a brotherly hug. The shorter boy next to them was still turned away, methodically picking off infected that had gotten distracted or caught up in some of the brush. He turned to watch his friend meet Ellis, and smiled a bit. I nearly fell over watching it spread across his face. He turned the rest of the way and his eyes locked with mine.

"Zoey?" He whispered. I let loose and ran at him full-speed and threw my arms around his neck.

"Alex, Alex, Alex." I cooed his name over and over.

He was crying a little onto my shoulder as his arms wrapped tightly around my middle. "You came back for me, Zo. You came back."

"I promised you I would. I promised, didn't I?" I clung to him, desperately hoping this wasn't a dream, and I wouldn't be able to take waking up. I ran my hands through his night-black mess of hair and kissed his forehead again and again.

"Sis, you didn't come when you got off. I thought something happened. I thought you were dead." He held on tighter, and cried a little harder.

"No, shh, no I'm fine, honey, just fine. They shut down the airports up there, no one was allowed in or out. But I still promised." We parted slowly and I took in the sight of my 16 year-old brother before me.

I had always thought of him as a boy; a young boy who I needed to protect. Now he had the hardened appearance of a man. His eyes glistened with tears and my heart lit up. He struggled to keep his chin from quivering. A single hot tear streamed down my face. I tapped his chin with my finger. "Gun at the ready, soldier."

He smiled a bit at the name, "Yes, Ma'am."

He hurriedly turned and faced my comrades. He straightened his back and held his head high.

"This is my brother, Alex." I announced to everyone. I practically cooed his name. Ro had a smile on her face, and her eyes were a little watery. I barely took my eyes off Alex. "He's gonna be a soldier." His head rose slightly, and his mouth turned up in a smile at how I introduced him. I absently played with his shaggy hair, remembering all the times I had done it before.

He looked proud, "Just like Dad was."

"Was...was it the flu?" Ro seemed honestly concerned.

"Hell no! My father died with dignity in the heat of war."

"Alex was staying with our grandparents just outside of Savannah . . ." I trailed off and glanced over expectantly at my brother. He shook his head gravely and I nodded.

"We should move on." He said, "We shouldn't stay in the same place too long. I sighed a bit. This world had hardened him, forced him to grow up at a time when he should be carefree.

"Yah," I smiled, "Let's go, kid."


End file.
